Bioshock: The Story
by Guardian Shotgun
Summary: A novalization of Bioshock. Follow Jack through the madness and horror that lurks in Rapture's sunken halls as he trys to uncover the city's horrid past while trying to survive the nightmare.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I don't own Bioshock.

Bioshock

_By Guardian Shotgun_

Prologue: Life

(^(00)^)

_"I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?_

_'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.'_

_'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.'_

_'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.'_

"_I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city, as well."_

The words still rang in his head. Those were the words that every citizen of Rapture had heard before their arrival.

They were a lie.

Rapture was a madman's dream, and that man's name was Andrew Ryan. Ryan had the city built at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for the _great_ and _powerful. _The promise of absolute freedom and endless possibilities drew the attention of wealthy socialites, scientists, and the like from around the world, but it was too good to be true.

He could not remember why he came to Rapture. He could not even remember his name anymore. His name was forgotten long ago, lost to the horrors of this underwater world. This was the world that would some day be his tomb… or was it already? The city lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean was falling apart. The body was decaying, the soul was failing, and its blood… was scarce.

Adam.

Adam was all he wanted.

Adam was all he needed.

_Adam_ was the blood that once flowed through Rapture's veins, but civil war and monstrous abominations had all but drained it dry. Adam had given the people power, but at a heavy price. The substance would fiddle with a person's genetic make up and change it into something powerful. Rapture's many scientists played with the substance until they created _Plasmids_; substances that could give individuals outstanding powers. Civilians would walk Rapture's streets, lighting fires in their hands as if it was an everyday occurrence. Work was simpler and the people relished their new powers.

Messing with one's genetic makeup, though, tended to have horrible side effects. In time the people of Rapture grew addicted to Adam and the plasmidsthat it created. Violence and anger increased as Adam slowly deteriorated the minds of all those who used it. Their bodies began to fall apart, and Adam was the only thing that could save them. It was a vicious cycle that would never seem to end.

Adam had given birth to Rapture, and Adam had destroyed it.

All the while, Ryan remained at the top of the pile, crushing whatever opposition arose… for a while.

Frank Fontaine had helped the rise of Adam and Plasmids throughout Rapture. After he had climbed the social pile long enough, Ryan had him disposed of. The tyrant took over Fontaine Industries and the Adam with it.

Civil war broke out, and while Ryan bribed his supporters with Adam, a lone worker Atlas rose up to speak for the lower class. Morals and ethics were thrown aside as more and more civilians were getting "spliced up" beyond repair. Horrid creatures were created to control, collect, and protect the Adam. Little girls were turned into abominations and protected by even more horrid monsters. The "Little Sisters" as they were called, were the closest thing to children now… young ones could not survive in this hell. The sisters gathered up Adam and… God, he did not know what they did with it, and he did not care.

All he knew was that they had it, and he needed it. He had to be quick too, because a Big Daddy is never far behind the Little Sisters.

And that was why he was standing over a little girl in a blue smock with a monkey wrench in his hand, intent to beat the child to death for _his_ Adam….

…But then she screamed.

Her high pitched wail echoed through the halls as he brought the wrench down on her shoulder, missing his original target: her head.

An inhuman roar filled the air as thunderous footsteps echoed from behind him. From a balcony above his position a Big Daddy peered down at him, looking quite menacing. The creature was humanoid in build, with a large slough in its posture and a wide build. The entirety of its body was covered with a strange diving suit; the spherical helmet was covered in strange lights, now they were glowing red, for anger. The most fearsome part of the creature though had to be its right hand, or lack there of. Replacing the appendage was a massive drill that the Big Daddy could activate at will. He was now glad he remembered to retrieve his shotgun that morning, but with low ammo he needed to try not to use it.

The monster let loose a scream that could only be described as whale-like, shaking the very floor beneath him as it leapt down on the man. He jumped to the side to avoid the Big Daddy's assault, but the brute was back on him in a flash. The monster reared its normal hand back and struck him in the face. The blow dazed him for a moment, giving the Big Daddy enough time to strike again and send him to the ground. As his senses returned, the Bid Daddy lifted its drill hand and brought it down towards him.

He rolled to the right as the drill impacted with the ground. The monsters tried to pull its appendage from the ground, but it was lodged too deeply. He seized this opportunity and struck the Big Daddy on the arm with his wrench. The brute showed no signs of pain as it finally pulled its weapon from the floor. The man jumped away and attacked its back, hitting a large metal drum on its back. The sound of metal hitting hollow metal rang through the corridors as the attack bounced off the Big Daddy, doing damage to the monster. It brought its normal hand to his face again, backhanding him to the floor yet again. He felt the wrench leave his hand and heard it clatter across the floor, far away. The stock of the shotgun holstered on his back collided with his skull, dazing the man's vision yet again.

He could vaguely see the Little Sister's scared face through his blurred vision before the Big Daddy hauled him away by his leg. It tossed him away from her and raised its drill, intent on finishing the man off. Thinking fast, he shoved his foot into what would be the creature's stomach, and caught the drill in his left hand the appendage roared to life and began to spin. He screamed as it tore into his hand with little resistance, the spiral tip of the drill poking out of the other side of his hand. With little other choice, the man pulled his shotgun from behind him and held the barrel at the Big Daddy's face and pulled the trigger. The effect was immediate as the monster was knocked back by the shot and stumbled dangerously close to a nearby ledge.

While the Bid Daddy was distracted, the man retrieved a hypodermic needle from inside his coat pocket. He looked to his destroyed hand reluctantly and bit his lip as he stabbed the needle into his arm and squeezed. As the sickly liquid was forced into his limb, his arm began to change. The skin around the point of injection turned brown and rough, spreading quickly. Small bubbles formed and popped, releasing large hornets that grew rapidly in his arm. This was his least favorite plasmid; Swarm. It was made recently to help confuse and even kill enemies, but it hurt like nothing else. Nevertheless his arm was soon covered with small bubbles and deformed skin, and he prepared to fight.

As the insects crawled about on his arm he readied his shotgun. With a simple thought he willed the bugs to attack as he thrust his arm toward the Big Daddy. The wasps flew from his arm in a cloud of dozens and surrounded the creature. As it flailed its arms around, trying to get rid of the pests, the man charged forward. He brought the gun, yet again, to the Big Daddy's face and fired. The buckshot tore through the helmet and sent the creature flying, pushing it over the edge and falling to the floor three stories below. The man cautiously peered over the edge to find the Big Daddy reduced to a crumpled heap. The lights that once adorned its helmet were dark, signifying its death. He dropped the shotgun to his side and basked in the glory of his kill.

Relief and contentment flooded his senses… before the pain erupted from his abdomen. The horrible sounds of machinery turning and flesh being torn apart rang in his ears. He slowly looked down at himself to find a drill protruding from his stomach. The machine turned in the opposite direction and he was viciously pulled off. He slowly turned around to find another Big Daddy behind him, no doubt drawn by the scuffle.

It reared its drill back and slammed it into his head, obliterating his face and killing him instantly.

(^(00)^)

She was crouched in the corner, scared by the fight. The bad man had attacked her and Daddy tried to save her, but the man killed her Daddy.

But another of her Daddies had come to protect her. He would keep the bad men away. Her Daddy reached out his hand to help her up, and she took it. When he lifted her back on her feet, she ran to him; crying into his tummy for her old Daddy.

(^(00)^)

Done

To those who find this story: I am on a mission.

I will novelize Bioshock.

I have searched for fan fiction on Bioshock, but I am sad to report that the pickings are thin.

I have started another story, but three weeks of writers block has taken a toll on my confidence. I'm hoping that this story will help.

To anyone who has read L4D HG, it is currently up for grabs. I can tell you the direction the story is supposed to go if you want to continue it, but until I can find the inspiration it's on hiatus.

Lastly, thank you for reading. The next chapter is under way right now.

(^(00)^) Guardian Shotgun, Johnathan Baker.


	2. Chapter 1: Arrival

Chapter 1

Arrival

(^(00) ^)

'_They told me, 'son, you're special. You were born to do great things. You know what? They were right.'_

For as long as he could remember, Jack Ryan had lived a quiet life with a normal family on a farm in Quincy, Nebraska. He was currently on a plane headed for France, where a distant relative lived, so he could hand-deliver a package to them. Jack always believed that his parents were a bit… eccentric, but he loved them none the less. His father had given him specific instructions to open the package during the flight, to check on it maybe? He didn't understand, but complied with his parents anyway.

How was he supposed to know when the plane would be at 62.2' N…?

(^(00)^)

The salt water stung when Jack opened his eyes. All around him bags, suitcases, and bits of what had once been a plane slowly floated downward. As a propeller shot by him, Jack realized his lungs were about to burst, so swam upward as fast as he could.

Jack gasped for air as he finally broke the surface. Cold water froze his lower body as fire from the wreckage burned his face. The plane's fuel had ignited in the crash, resulting in the smoke and fire obscuring his vision. He swam towards the only part of the plane not on fire; the tail piece. Perhaps he could ride it out of the wreckage? The moon was constantly appearing and disappearing in the clouds above. The light revealed luggage and corpses of previous passengers just below the ocean's surface. Jack willed himself not to look at their disfigured bodies, blackened and mutilated by the fire.

As he neared the tail, another piece of the plane combusted to his left and spread the fire. The flames danced across the water's black surface in front of him, blocking his way. Jack turned to the left to find another path but was met with an unexpected sight. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean was a monstrous lighthouse. It seemed to rise from the sea itself, as no rocks or land stood at its base. A small dock was facing him, with a staircase leading around the building and out of his sight. Behind Jack, the tail piece began to sink, leaving the mysterious lighthouse his last hope.

He swam away from the wreckage and pulled himself onto the dock. He stood there for a moment, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm himself. How Jack had survived the crash was nothing short of a miracle, but now what?

(^(00)^)

A great metal door adorned the front of the lighthouse, painted gold with intricate designs carved into it. The left side was ajar and Jack passed between the doors into the dark. The light from outside slowly disappeared as the doors shut behind him. Jack quickly turned around to try and open them, but a small light turned on overhead. It revealed that Jack was in a grand room, the floor was marble and the walls were made of stone. He turned back towards the rest of the room to find a large golden bust suspended in the middle of the room. The man looked old, with a neatly trimmed mustache and a balding head. His expression was one of… annoyance maybe? Behind the bust was a large red banner that read:

'_**NO GODS. NO KINGS. ONLY MAN.'**_

The silence seemed to suffocate the room, giving Jack an uneasy feeling. On either side of the bust was a stairway leading downward. Strange, yet artistic, pictures adorned the walls, representing different things. Industry, market, agriculture, and the like were portrayed in the metal art. Above all of them on a pillar in the middle of the room, was a large metal arm pulling on a chain. Beneath it, the words 'the great chain' where etched into the statue. On the floor below was a bathysphere floating in a small hole filled with water. A large glass door was wide open, inviting him in.

Jack's curiosity took hold over his better reasoning and he entered the sphere. Inside was a bench that wrapped around the outer wall and a lever. He reached out and pulled it downward. Immediately, the door to the bathysphere shut and a small tremor shook the sphere. Jack turned around and realized the device was sinking. The world outside the bathysphere traveled upward.

A small projection screen rose from the ground and covered the glass door, startling him by its sudden appearance. From above the lever in the back of the bathysphere, a projector flickered to life, as a voice recording filled the sphere.

A picture of a man sitting in an elegant study appeared. Jack noticed that it was the same man from the statue in the lighthouse.

_"I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?_

The projector switched from Andrew to a painting of a man sweating while working in field. Before anything else was said, the picture changed to the same man being attacked by an eagle descending from the Capitol Building

_.'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.'_

The slide show continued on to the man being attacked by a heavenly hand from the sky over the Vatican church.

_'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.'_

The picture changed yet again to the poor man being attacked by a sickle and a hammer.

_'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.'_

As Jack was beginning to sympathize with the man in the pictures, it returned to the picture of Andrew Ryan sitting in his study.

"_I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...Rapture! _

The projector returned to the floor, revealing the world outside the bathysphere again. Jack was astounded to find that he was traveling along the sea floor. Just as Ryan's voice continued its speech, an underwater city appeared.

_A city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small! And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city, as well."_

Rapture was nothing short of breathtaking. All around Jack, neon lights illuminated the seabed and strange skyscrapers (should they be called that?) built in art-deco designs added to the mystery. Clear tubes and tunnels connected the structures to one another, giving the city a futuristic look as well. Fish, sharks, and even a whale floated lazily in between the buildings.

How? How?! was the only thing that came to Jack's mind.

How was there a city at the bottom of the ocean?

How did it get here?

How is it that Jack would be the one to stumble upon it.

How did he survive the plane crash?

How was any of this possible?

Before Jack could even imagine an answer, the intercom crackled to life again.

"The lighthouse is lit up like Hellfire. Looks like some kind of plane crash." The first voice had an Irish ring to it and defiantly to a male. He sounded calm, or at least confident.

"We're in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, how could it be?" Jack strained to hear the second voice. It was quiet, and maybe even sounded scared, but obviously male like the first.

It occurred to Jack that the two men could only be talking about him. He began to search the sphere for a means to communicate back to them, but the closest thing he could find was an inactive radio device by the door.

The first voice returned on the intercom. "I don't know. But you best get over there, and be quick about it. The Splicers are coming."

'Splicers'? What the hell where they talking about. Things were getting even weirder for Jack, but there was no way for him to turn around now.

"You've gotta be kidding! How do you know someone's even coming?" The second voice was even more worried now. The mention of the Splicers must have triggered his increased fears.

"Because we've got a bathysphere on its way down. That means we've got company." The confident voice cut off the intercom, silencing the conversation.

As the silence surrounded him, Jack realized the bathysphere was slowing down. The room shook as it connected to some unseen device, and was pulled toward a nearby skyscraper. As the sphere neared the building, neon lights sparked to life as he passed them, reading:

'ALL GOOD THINGS…'

'…OF THIS EARTH…'

'…FLOW…'

'…INTO THE CITY.'

The last sign flickered and died. Jack hoped that this wasn't a bad sign. The bathysphere entered the building and stopped in a chamber of sorts. As it slowed to a stop, the sphere began to rise.

End Chapter 1

(^(00)^)

Thank you for reading, please review if you think that I am leaving anything out.

(^(00)^) Guardian Shotgun

=) (BETA) Adrienne Donaldson


	3. Chapter 2: Splicers

Chapter 2

Splicers

(^(00)^)

"J-just a minute… The sphere! The sphere is coming up now." The frantic voice called out upon Jack's arrival.

"Johnny, security is banging off all over, get a move on!" The first voice sounded a little scared this time.

As the bathysphere emerged and the water rolled down the glass door, Jack arrived in a dark new world. An unseen light, flickering on and off, briefly illuminated the room. For a short moment he could see two figures of what seemed to be a man and a woman. Jack beat his fist on the glass, trying to get their attention, but his attempts at gaining the figures' attention were in vain.

Another flash of light and he could see that the male figure was backing away, fearfully, from the female, and towards the bathysphere. Jack pressed his ear against the glass in hopes to hear their conversation.

"Look lady… I didn't mean to trespass." It was the man's voice, scared, panicking, and … familiar.

It was the second man, Johnny, from the intercom conversation.

Every siren and warning light was firing in Jacks head. The man was in trouble…

…and there was nothing he could do about it.

Jack pulled his ear away from the glass, but he could still hear the man's pleas. The female's figure was advancing toward him now. She carried something in her hands, but what it was Jack could not tell.

"…I'm sorry… just please don't…here, you can have my gun… but, plea-.

The man was cut off as the female figure lunged toward him. There was another flash of light and Jack could make out the slicing motion of her arm. He could make out two bright red objects in her hands…

…meat hooks.

Jack jumped backwards and scrambled away from the door, all thoughts of helping the man were diminished.

The man's cries turned to pain-filled gurgles. He tried to retreat but the insane woman attacked again. They were now close enough for Jack to clearly see the woman jump forward and bury the bloody hooks into the poor man's torso. She pinned the man against the door to the bathysphere as he struggled against her. The man's last cries of pain filled the room as she tore his chest open, spraying blood all over the glass door to the sphere. The man's corpse slowly slid down, until it was a crumpled heap at the foot of the bathysphere.

The woman slowly took a few steps backwards, never turning her back to the glass door. Once again the light flicked on and Jack was able to get a look at her face. His reaction was to immediately vomit what food was in his stomach onto the floor.

Ugly…

Disgusting…

Horrifying…

Disfigured…

Mutilated…

Dozens words entered and escaped Jack's mind, but not one could describe the woman. It looked as though her face had been butchered and hastily taped back together. She was a monster, a murderer…

…and she was staring right back at him.

"_Is it someone new?"_ She was referring to him, there was no mistaking it.

She talked in a low and raspy voice, one that should not have been possible for a woman. She dropped into a crouch, like a cat getting ready to pounce, and as she leapt gracefully into the air, she released a high pitched shriek.

Jack felt the bathysphere shake with what felt like the force of and elephant. He could hear the monster woman's screams over the scraping of the hooks against metal. She beat her fists against the sphere's metal shell, trying to pound her way to Jack. Her blows were so powerful that they dented the inner walls and shook the bathysphere. Electrical wires were torn and sparks were illuminating the sphere's insides, but the walls held nonetheless.

After a minute of the insane woman's attempts to destroy the bathysphere, things suddenly went quiet. The beating, the rocking, and the screaming stopped all together. The woman jumped from the bathysphere's roof back onto the floor. In the light outside, Jack could see her looking back at him again, and then the lights cut off. A moment later when the lights returned, she was gone.

"Hello… Hello?! Can you hear me in there boyo?"

Finally overwhelmed by the sudden surprises, Jack let loose a startled scream at the sound of the new voice.

"Umm, not the response I was looking for, but it will work. Now, would you kindly pick up the short-wave radio." Jack searched the small room, noticing the small radio he dismissed earlier. The device would fit easily into his pocket, but for now Jack held it to his mouth so he could talk back.

With a shaking finger, he held down the button to speak. "H-hello, who's th-there? Where the hell am I… and just what the hell is going on!" Jack released his hold on the switch so the man could talk back.

"Calm down, now," the voice called back. "I don't know how you survived that plane crash, but I'm not one to question providence. My name is Atlas, and I aim to keep you alive." The man's confidence and slight Irish accent caused Jack to realize that this was the other man from the intercom. He was calm again. "You got a name boyo?"

Jack pressed the button again. "Jack," he called into the radio, "J-Jack Ryan." He released the button so Atlas could talk now.

"Alright Jack, I promise I'll help you outta here, but you're gonna have to keep on moving. We gotta get you to higher ground."

"Ok… but Atlas? How do I get out of here? I can't open the door." Jack signified this by pushing against the bathysphere's glass door.

"Let's see…" Jack could hear the sound of papers shifting about on the other side of the radio. "…ah-hah, here we are! There should be a switch to manually open the door, right above the top edge."

Jack stood on his toes to feel around on the top of the door. Sure enough he felt a small switch. As flipped the device, the large glass door swung freely open.

"Good work, now take a deep breath and step out of the bathysphere. Don't worry Jack; I won't leave ya twistin' in the wind." The radio cut off.

Jack pocketed the short wave radio and took a careful step into the darkness outside the sphere. The sound of machinery and scraping metal filled the air as a strange blue glow crept out in front of him. It was shutters, gigantic and metal, sliding down a massive glass wall in front of him. The world beyond was breathtaking, like looking at a giant's aquarium. He ocean world illuminated what looked like a station for bathyspheres in a light blue glow.

The station was in disarray. Suitcases and rubble were strewn across the ground. Red banners adorned the walls, reading propaganda not much unlike the one from the lighthouse, but many had been torn down. As Jack took another step, he almost tripped over what seemed to be a picket sign. It read: 'RYAN DOSEN'T OWN US!' Jack was about to ask Atlas what had happened, but the sound of loud, raspy breathing startled him.

Radio static burst to life from Jack's pocket as Atlas' voice returned. "She's stalking you, but I've got a plan. We're gonna have to draw her out of hiding."

"What?" Jack wanted to yell, but the insane woman's presence kept his voice in check. "You're going to use me as bait?!"

"I know it sounds bad, but you're just gonna have to trust me."

Jack put the radio away, as much as he didn't like it, Atlas was his only choice. He pushed onward, spotting a stairway to his left…

… On the other side of the large room.

The heavy breathing followed him the entire time. The room was so massive, that the sound echoed across the walls, making the woman's voice impossible to pinpoint. More signs littered the station, portraying messages like the first. Jack's fear was only being fueled by his surroundings. Death, murder, and now rioting, Rapture didn't seem to be the same city that had been portrayed by Andrew Ryan. It did not look like the city's populace liked Ryan any more than Jack did now.

"_Hmm… I'll wrap you in a sheet!" _It was the woman's voice again, and Jack lost what little nerve he had left.

He leapt over a fallen column and weaved in between luggage carts. He sprinted towards the staircase, trying to get away from the murderer. At the top of the stairs was a smaller, but still spacious, room. Flickering monitors were placed on the columns and even more rubble covered the ground. Past a fallen pillar and on the other side of the room was a green light, shining downward like a spotlight. The light focused on a pile of rubble that blocked a doorway.

(^(00)^)

As Jack made his way towards the light, he could not see the figure scaling the ceiling. She tossed a metal hook towards a monitor he had just passed, destroying it and further startling her prey. She crawled ahead of him, and dropped down into the spotlight.

(^(00)^)

"I promise boyo, just a bit further." Atlas' voice called to him from Jack's pocket.

He was about to climb the downed pillar, the woman suddenly dropped down in front of him and right into the spotlight. The disfigured woman screamed as she advanced toward him, just before all hell broke loose around him. Sirens wailed throughout the room as the spotlight changed to red and followed her figure. Jack could hear a strange mechanical whirling sound approaching him from behind. It quickly passed him and the strange flying device opened fire on the woman.

"Ha! How do ya like that sister?" Atlas mocked her as the flying hunk of metal fought the insane woman.

Jack was astounded as she shrieked again and leapt onto the walls, and watched her as she scaled the wall and escaped into a vent with the flying machine in tow. The sirens ceased their cries and the spotlight returned to green. Jack was apprehensive about walking into the light, but Atlas' voice reassured him otherwise.

"Don't worry," he said, "they're not programmed to you, but you're gonna need to arm yourself. Would you kindly find a crowbar or somthin'." With that the radio was silent once more. Jack searched through the rubble, using the spotlight as his light, and sure enough, he found red monkey wrench beneath a particularly large chunk of concrete.

"Atlas," Jack called into the radio. "I found a wrench. You think this will work?"

He did not wait long for a response. "Aye Jack, that will do nicely. See if you can use it to clear that junk in front of the door."

Jack looked towards the door; large chunks of stone and small concrete pillars blocked any easy access through the doorway. It almost looked as if the doorway had collapsed in on itself. "What happened here?"

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. "It was an ambush, bloody Splicers sealed Johnny in. Goddamn, Splicers!"

Jack did not know what to tell Atlas, he had only seen Johnny for a few seconds. So he remained silent while he worked to clear the debris blocking his path. After striking with the wrench a few times, the rubble was destroyed, leaving a hole in the debris. Jack climbed through the hole, into short hallway that ended in a wide stairway leading upward. As he slowly ascended the stairs, the sound of distant footsteps startled him, and suddenly, a flaming couch was launched down the stairs, rolling and tumbling as it fell. Jack reacted quickly and threw his back against the wall. The burning furniture passed by him and crashed at the bottom steps.

"Watch yourself Jack!" Atlas' voice called out. "Splicers may be crazy, but they're mighty clever when it comes down to it. It's probably waiting for you, so be ready."

Jack gripped the wrench tighter and steeled his resolve. If the abomination wanted a fight, he was going to give it to them. He ran up the steps and emerged into a spacious room with another wall made nearly entirely of glass.

As he reached the middle of the room, a man with tattered clothes and a disfigured face leapt from behind, and in its hands was an arm's length of metal pipe, a crude, but effective weapon. Jack realized that the Splicer had hid by the doorway and intended to catch him from behind. He dropped to the floor and rolled away as the Splicer swung the pipe, missing Jack's head by mere inches. The weight of the pipe threw it off balance, sending the Splicer to the floor. Jack took his opportunity and leapt onto his enemy. With one foot he pinned the Splicer's hand to the floor, and with the other foot Jack kept its chest down. The Splicer tried to squirm free but Jack was stronger, and with a mighty swing, he brought the wrench down on the assailant's head. Jack closed his eyes as he felt the skull give way, and the Splicer stopped struggling.

He paused for a moment and let the adrenaline of the fight pass. As Jack opened his eyes, he saw the sunken head of the dead Splicer covered in blood with his wrench still lodged in its head. He pulled the weapon from the corpse's skull and backed away.

The radio in his pocket crackled with life and Atlas' calm voice filled the room. "You alright boyo, that sounded pretty rough?"

Jack retrieved the radio and responded, "Yeah… I'm ok. What happened to these people?  
Why are they… like this?"

"I'll tell you later, but for right now you need to keep moving. More of them might show up soon."

Jack kept the radio in hand as he crossed the room. On the glass wall was a square metal door, he could see that it lead into a glass tunnel that connected this building to two other identical underwater skyscrapers. Next to the door was a switch, but it had been destroyed; sparks would occasionally erupt from the exposed wires. Jack looked around the room, but there was no other door than the one he had entered. There was a balcony with a stairway it to the floor he was on, but it didn't seem to lead anywhere.

"We got a problem." Jack called into the radio. "There's only one other door, and it's fried at the moment. What do you think I should do?"

"Hmm… let me see." Atlas paused for a moment. "There should be a plasmid vendor nearby, can you see it?"

Jack strained his neck to see on top of the balcony, and sure enough there was a refrigerator sized vending machine. "I think I found it, I'll check it out." He ascended the stairs and walked onto the ledge. The machine was strange, but at the same time familiar. It looked like an every day soda vendor from his childhood, but instead of soft drinks, it displayed different vials of glowing liquids. The vendor itself was slightly damaged, leaving a hole large enough for one to reach in and steal from.

"Good job Jack. Now try to find one marked 'electro bolt.' It's pretty common so it should be there."

Jack reached his hand inside and pulled out a small hypodermic needle filled with a thick blue liquid. He turned it over to find a label reading: ELECTRO BOLT. Astounded at his first stroke of good luck, Jack retrieved his radio.

"Atlas, I found it! Now what do I do?"

"Inject it into your arm, like a doctor would."

"WHAT?! Are you serious?" Jack did not have a fear of needles; the real problem was in putting strange foreign objects into his body.

Atlas' voice changed to a comforting tone. "Trust me, it will help."

Jack was still uneasy, but complied nonetheless. "If you say so." He rolled his shirt's left sleeve back and positioned the needle above where he thought would be best. He shut his eyes, pushed the needle into his skin, and squeezed the end. As bright blue liquid was forced into his arm, Jack's arm exploded in pain. He opened his eyes to find his veins glowing brightly and electricity dancing across his fingers. The bones in his hand snapped under the pressure, but were quickly mended by the plasmid. Jack stumbled about as his entire body began to ache, slowly making his way to the balcony's edge.

He could vaguely hear Atlas' voice calling out to him. "Steady now! Your genetic code is being rewritten. Just hold on and every thing will be…"

That was all Jack heard as he tumbled over the railing, landing face first on the ground below.

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Thank you for reading, please review if you think that I am leaving anything out.

To The Second Beast: I am sorry about the prologue, I should have waited for my beta to read it first. Thank you for reviewing though.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

=) Beta:


	4. Chapter 3: Atlas

Chapter 3

Atlas

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In all honesty, Jack did not expect to be alive.

Although… after surviving a plane crash, finding an underwater city, and surviving ten minutes against said city's insane citizens, he felt that asking for something normal to happen would be too much trouble. So here he was, half conscious and lying on the cold floor, trying to move as two figures descended upon him.

One of them crouched down to Jack's level; poking him with a led pipe as if examining him. "_This little fish looks like he just got his cherry POPPED! I wonder if he's still got some Adam left on him." _The voice was sickening; behind a man's scratchy voice was another deep tone, as if two people were talking at once. It was obviously another Splicer that came to finish Jack off. His vision began to fade once more and in the distance Jack could hear a whale that must have swam near the window…

"_Hear that?!" _The second Splicer sounded much like the first, only with a fearful tone in his voice. _"Let's bug!" _Jack could vaguely see the second freak begin away.

"_WEAK!" _the first Splicer called out, _"You're a weak chopper!"_

"_This little fish ain't worth toeing it with no Big Daddy!" _The second responded.

"_Yellow, always have been!" _The first splicer turned his attention back towards Jack. He slammed his pipe on the ground and brought his face close to Jack's. A pungent odor of fish and rotten meat came from the Splicer's mouth, and Jack was now aware that the monster was wearing a… cat mask? _"You'll be no better off with the metal daddy, little fish! See you floating in the briny."_ And as the Splicer fled, Jack's vision turned to black once more, and in the distance he could hear the whale again…

… and heavy footsteps. That whale had to be right at the window for it to be this loud. As the footsteps increased in volume, so did the whale's calls. It was not until a massive diving boot came crashing down in front of Jack's face that he finally realized that the two where connected. He was too disorientated to make out the actual object, but a few things stood out the most:

Boot…

Big…

Green lights…

Drill…

A significantly smaller person made their way from behind the much larger figure. As it… _she_ approached him Jack was given a much better look at what seemed to be a little girl. She could not have been any more than four feet tall, clothed in a dirty blue dress, and pale with a boney structure. She would have appeared normal if it was not for the large hypodermic needle in her right hand, or the fact that her eyes were glowing.

When she did finally speak, it was with the same disfigured voice as the Splicers, only it was higher in pitch and sickeningly sweet. _"Look, Mr. Bubbles. It's an angel! I can see light coming from his belly."_ The little abomination took a step towards him, but suddenly jumped backwards, retreating behind the blurry behemoth._ "Wait a minute... he's still breathing. It's alright. I know he'll be an angel soon."_

The two of them retreated from Jack as the darkness flooded his vision.

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Jack awoke a few minutes later. His head was pounding and his left hand was numb, but he was happy find himself still alive. He rose to stand on shaky legs and reached for his radio, retrieving it from his right pocket.

"Atlas… Atlas, are you there? H-how long was I out?" Jack tried to speak correctly, but his words were slurred and strung together.

The radio wailed and crackled to life as Atlas' voice responded, "That you Jack? Finally, I was worried something had happened. You alright boyo?"

"To tell the truth, I've felt better." He clutched his aching head and tried to will the pain away.

"Yeah, first time Plasmid's a real kick from a mule, but there's nothin' like a fist full of lightning now is there?"

Jack looked to his left hand to find that it was glowing blue as small bolts of electricity jumped between his fingertips. "Plasmid, is that what that thing was? Warn me next time I stick needles in my arm, okay?"

Jack could hear Atlas laughing on the other end of the line. "I'll admit, I should have told ya, but it'll be easier now. See if you can use it, just will the lightning from your hand, it's not that difficult. Try it on the door switch, it should short circuit it and force the door open."

Jack raised his hand with the palm facing towards the destroyed door controls. Felling ridiculous, he tried to make the lightning that danced across his hand to jump to the device. "Move? Jump? Zap?" Still no response. "God damn it, work!" Jack thrust his hands towards the door, trying with all his mental might to force the electricity to move. His attempts proved successful as an arc of lightning jumped from his hands towards the door. There was a shower of sparks from the broken switch and the giant metal door slid upward beside it. "Ha! Atlas, I did it!"

Atlas' laughter broke through the radio, "Good job boyo, now get a move on. The Splicers could be on their way." Jack returned the short wave radio to his pocket and He willed the numb feeling from his hand. He was satisfied to see the blue lights fade from his hand and retrieved his wrench from his back pocket.

The opened door lead into a long hallway made mostly of glass that stretched forward and turned to the right after about thirty feet. The windows arched overhead, giving an entire one hundred and eighty degree view of the underwater world just outside. The structure was connected to two or three other buildings, like veins connecting the arteries in one's own body. Against his better judgment, Jack paused for a moment as he watched the local ocean life swim by…

…Although, he was confused when a handbag slowly descended outside the glass. Various forms of luggage were slowly floating downward and littering the aquatic word with cloths and accessories. Jack realized that he must have been underneath the crash he had survived just moments ago. His assumption was proven true as he recognized the tail end of the destroyed plain sinking close by… too close.

The tail was heading straight toward him.

Jack almost screamed in frustration; no matter where he went bad luck seemed to follow. As the tail drew closer, Jack ran as fast as he could and he felt the tunnel shake as the wreckage crashed into the tunnel behind him. Spider web fractures quickly spread across the glass walls as he could hear the water rushing into the hall. As he turned the corner, ocean water rushed past his feet with such force that Jack nearly lost his balance. He was relieved to see another strange door only forty feet away but the feeling was short lived.

Jack could hear the glass walls shattering behind him as more water swept by his feet and began to rise slowly. Fish swam by his legs as he half ran and half sloshed his way to the large door. As he approached it, the door automatically slid open for Jack to sprint through and as it closed, he turned to see a wave of water crashing through the tunnel. The door shut as the wave nearly descended upon Jack and the force of the wave bent the metal, destroying any chance of the door ever working again.

Jack found himself in a dark room, sectioned off on either side by a hallway leading to the other side of the chambers. To his left and right were smaller rooms with large glass windows for viewing the outside world. Not trusting the darkness before him, Jack took to the left room. The silence was broken as the sound of metal scraping against metal pierced the air. He tuned around just in time to see the sparks flying through the hallway he had just left.

"Splicer!" Atlas' voice called out. "Give 'em the combo; zap 'em, then whack 'em! The one-two punch! Remember, the one-two punch!" The radio went silent.

Jack willed the electricity back into his left hand and gripped the wrench tightly in his right. He walked slowly back into the hall and used his glowing appendage to light the darkness.

"_Hello again little fish, looks like the Big Daddy didn't think you were worth his time." _ Jack could hear the horrifying voice of the Splicer that stood over him while he was incapacitated earlier. The voice came from the room on the right side of the hall, but as he neared the room Jack watched as the Splicer ran to the room on the left. The pipe he dragged across the ground illuminated his figure and Jack followed him into the left room.

He could see the disfigured man in the blue glow from his hand. _"Ooh, the fish got his hands on some Adam… all the more reason to KILL YOU!"_ The Splicer screamed as the leapt into the air and arced toward Jack.

Jack rolled to the left as the abomination flew past him and turned to the assailant quickly. He thrust his left hand at the splicer and willed the lightning to strike him. The effect was instant as the Splicer was paralyzed by the few thousand volts of electricity running through his body. Jack quickly descended on the incapacitated Splicer and struck him across the back of his head with the heavy wrench. The blood covered the ground as the Splicer collapsed in a crumpled heap, dead. Jack released a heavy breath and turned away from the corpse, not enjoying the sight of his handiwork. He quickly retreated back into the hall and illuminated the darkness once more with the electricity in his left hand.

Jack was relieved to find another large door at the opposite end of the hall from the identical door he had entered through. The stairway behind the door lead into a chamber that was even larger than the station that he had originally arrived in. Across the room was an elevator system, although many of them were out of order. Jack could hear the frantic cries of another male splicer echoing through the room, but what struck him as odd was that the disfigured human sounded scared?

"_T-tell Ryan I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" _The voice came from above, near the top of an elevator shaft. _"No… no, please don't do that! Oh please no, NO!" _An elevator at the top of the room exploded and fell towards the ground. The impact caused the contraption to ignite and a Splicer came running from the wreckage. His entire body was ablaze as he ran screaming through the room, and after a few moments the Splicer fell to the ground, still burning. Jack watched the entire scene with a sense of pity and disgust at the disfigured man's fate. He did not want to think about it, but Jack realized that death would be a common occurrence in Rapture, whether it is by his hands or another's.

Jack side-stepped the flaming corpse and preceded towards what he hoped was the last working elevator. His luck finally took a turn for the better as the elevator climbed slowly, but steadily.

As the radio crackled to life once more, Jack retrieved the device to listen to Atlas more clearly. "Listen, I've got a family. I NEED to get them outta here, but the Splicers have cut me off from them. If you can reach them in Neptune's Bounty, a fish market not far from where you are now, them maybe…_ just maybe_ …." Atlas released a heavy sigh and continued on. "I know you must feel like the unluckiest man in the world right now boyo, but you're the only hope I have of reaching my wife and child again. So will you go to Neptune's bounty and please… find my family?"

Jack smiled and raised the radio to his mouth. "Atlas, without you I'd have been dead long ago. So don't worry, I'll find them, you have my word."

"Jack… you're a good man."

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Thank you for reading, please review if you think that I am leaving anything out.

To The Second Beast, thelastromantic, and Spartan Ai28; thank you. Thank you for reviewing.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

=) Beta


	5. Chapter 4: Sisters and Daddies

Chapter 4:

Sisters and Daddies

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After two or three stories, the elevator finally came to a stop and the door slid open. The fifth floor in the giant chambers was nothing more than a balcony that stretched thirty feet to the left. A few yards ahead and to the right was a hallway with a high ceiling that Jack couldn't see very well. As he climbed out of the elevator a strange tune filled the air.

"…_daddy's in the ground, mommy's gonna sell you by the pound…"_

It was a Splicer, definitely female, singing a broken version of 'Hush Little Baby.'

"…_when mommy's gone, you're gonna be the lonely one…"_

Jack could hear the voice to his left, fading in and out as she sang her strange tune. He slowly made his way to the hall and found that a shadow took up most of the left wall. It looked like a woman standing over a baby's carriage, but the woman's figure was slightly disfigured.

"…_when you're the lonely one, no one's gonna be here to sing this song…"_

The Splicer's shadow constantly fidgeted with the carriage, almost as if she was playing with a baby inside.

"…_Hush now… mommy's gone, and daddy too…"_

The Splicer stopped singing and Jack watched as the shadow turned its back to the end of the hall where he was hiding. Jack silently crept into the hall, sneaking up on the Splicer as she began to ramble quietly.

"… _Wait… this has happened before." _Her voice was curious, with an undertone of franticness. _"Why aren't you here? Why is it today and not then when you were warm and sweet? Why can't mommy hold you to her breast and feel your teeth? Oh no…no no no no no…" _As Jack crept closer, the Splicer started to cry. She stayed facing the stroller, keeping her back to him the entire time while he descended upon her.

As Jack reached a striking distance the Splicer turned her head to look at him. He was surprised when he saw that she was wearing a porcelain rabbit mask…

…and not attacking him.

The Splicer stared at him for a few seconds and turned back to the carriage. As much as he wanted to Jack could not let the Splicer go, lest it come back later in a different state of mind. As he brought the heavy wrench down, the Splicer gave her last words.

"_My poor little girl…" _Jack struck the back of her skull and the Splicer was instantly killed. She fell limply to the floor with her mask sliding across the floor. His curiosity got the better of him as Jack approached the stroller. His stomach turned as he found that the inside was covered in blood, and a revolver took the place of where a baby should lay. Jack was so intently focused on the scene before him that when Atlas' voice called out from the radio, he nearly screamed in surprise.

"You all right there boyo, what's goin' on?" He listened to the radio as Atlas' calm voice spoke to him.

Despite how much it repulsed him, Jack reached into the carriage and retrieved the revolver. Finding that it was fully loaded, he tucked the gun into the back of his trousers and retrieved the radio. With a quiet voice Jack replied, "I'm here. Atlas… I gotta know, what happened to these people, to Rapture… to everything?"

Jack pulled his finger from the button and Atlas' Irish voice returned, "We don't have much time 'cause you ain't safe yet… but I will tell you this: Plasmids changed everything. They destroyed our bodies, our minds… we couldn't handle it. Best friends butcherin' one another, babies strangled in cribs. The whole city went to hell."

Jack began to walk, heading towards the neon lights of the Kashmir Restaurant at the end of the hallway. "What about me," he asked, "I used a… Plasmid, so will I go insane?" As he approached the front doors to the restaurant, they parted for him automatically.

"Don't worry Jack; these people grew addicted to the power long ago. As long as you take it slowly and use them sparingly you'll be fine." When Atlas' voice went silent once more, Jack put the radio away and stopped for a moment to study the place he had just entered.

The Kashmir was in horrible condition; blood, dirt, and rubble littered the restaurant's floor. The first thing Jack noticed as he entered was a large poster in front of him that advertised a masquerade ball to celebrate the New Year, 1960… six months ago. The eatery was split between two levels with Jack currently on the second floor. To his left was a balcony over looking a large eating area with a strange fountain/statue of Andrew Ryan in the middle. The floor was slightly lower that the rest and covered with three inches of water as no one has shut off the fountain for some time. To his right were stairs leading down and a small offshoot to the restrooms.

Taking the closest choice, Jack descended the stairs to find that the most of the fourth floor had been cleared for the ball. The door to the kitchen was locked and the back door leading out of the restaurant had collapsed in on itself. With no way out on this floor, Jack decided to search the flooded eating area before heading back upstairs.

While shifting through the rotten food and bits of trash that covered the tables, Jack found a strange device. It was rectangular with a large speaker and a few buttons labeled

'record', 'stop', and 'play' taking up most of the face. Curious, he pressed the button labeled 'play', and a voice emitted from the device.

"_Another __New Year's… another night alone. I'm out, and you're stuck in Hephaestus, working. Imagine my surprise. I just guess I'll have another drink... here's a toast to Diane McClintock, silliest girl in Rapture. Silly enough to fall in love with Andrew Ryan, silly enough to-"_ The recording was indistinguishable for a few moments from what sounded like screaming. The yells faded as Diane's voice returned to the recording. _"What… what happened… I'm bleeding… oh, God… what's happening?" _Jack put the recorder back on the table, thoroughly confused by what he had heard. Seeing as the first floor was void of any help whatsoever, he returned to the second floor.

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Jack found his escape from the Kashmir in the most peculiar way, a large hole in the wall of the men's restroom. The gaping hole led to a mini-theater next door; The Floodlight Theater. He arrived on the theater's slightly destroyed second floor balcony that overlooked a large glassed-in seating area and stage. Jack's attention was drawn to a small girl sitting near a corpse opposite the first floor. He could not see what she was doing, but the memory of the horrifying girl standing over him flooded into his mind.

Atlas' voice drew him from his thoughts, "Easy now, would you kindly lower your weapon for a bit."

Jack silently complied, realizing that he had been gripping the wrench rather tightly at the sight of the small girl. "What's going on Atlas, it's just a girl… right?"

"You think that's a child down there?" Atlas responded incredulously. "Don't be fooled, she's a Lil' Sister now. Somebody went n' changed a sweet baby girl into a monster."

Jack stared at the Little Sister as she drew her large needle and stabbed it into the corpse repeatedly. "W-why…how… why would someone do that?" Jack began to make his way to the other side of the balcony via the theater's catwalk.

Atlas almost chuckled, "Whatever you thought of 'right' and 'wrong' on the surface…well that don't count much down in Rapture. Those Lil' Sisters? They carry Adam, the genetic material that keeps the wheels of Rapture turning. Everybody wants it, everybody needs it."

Jack arrived at the opposite side of the balcony and found a slightly demolished stairway leading downward. There was a safe way down it but no way back up, so he took a moment to decide. When he finally decided to take the stairs downward, he asked Atlas another question, "Why is Adam so important?"

"Adam is what Rapture's scientists used to make plasmids and the like." Atlas lectured. Although, plasmids fade over time, and people wanted more and more to keep their powers. The Lil' Sisters were made to gather Adam, so Splicer's try to find them and take it… by any means necessary."

As Jack leapt from the stairs to the floor just outside the glass windows of the theaters' sitting area. As he observed the horrifying girl once more, the door to the theater slid open and a Splicer strode into the room wielding a gun much like Jack's. He was surprised to find the Little Sister and surveyed the room, passing over Jack as a non-threat. The Splicer slowly approached the girl from behind, but she soon noticed his advancement. He made a shushing gesture with his hand, but she ignored him as she let loose an ear-piercing scream. The Splicer jumped backwards, obviously startled, and then lunged at her, striking her with the butt of his revolver.

As the Little Sister fell to the floor, a brutal roar filled the air. Jack's head snapped to the hole that he had just entered from a few moments ago to see a mass of red lights. The lights suddenly jumped into the air and down into the stage's spotlight to reveal a monstrous form.

The creature was wide, barely shorter than Jack, and slightly humanoid… at least in the fact that it had a body, two legs, two arms, and a head. Its entire body was clothed in what appeared to be a deep diver's suit except for its head. A large spherical helmet adorned with multiple red lights sat upon its shoulders and seamed to make the creature bend over due to its weight. What drew Jack's attention the most though, was the drill that took the place of the creature's right hand.

The Splicer unloaded two rounds at the monster, but if they did any damage Jack would never know. As it threw a discarded chair as the Splicer, the Little Sister snuck over to it and hid behind the creature massive legs. The disfigured man turned to flee but the door he had entered through was too far. In the time it took for the man to take three steps, the monster had crossed the room and struck the Splicer with its normal hand. The man was slammed into a wall but quickly recovered, only to be met with the receiving end of the monster's drill. He screamed as the device spun to life and tore into his chest. The monster showed no mercy as it pulled the drill from the Splicer's body and lifted him by the collar. Jack jumped back as it pulverized the Splicer against the glass he has been watching through, sending the man through the window in the process.

When the corpse of the deceased Splicer finally stopped twitching, the monster slowly turned its gaze to Jack. Its powerful stance and the way it held the Little Sister protectively clearly portrayed its message: stay away. Jack feared for his life as he raised his hands in surrender and backed away slowly from the creature. When he was finally a safe distance away, the lights that covered the creatures helmet changed from red to yellow and it calmly led the Little Sister from the room.

Jack released a breath he did not know he had been holding as Atlas' voice called out to him. "That's the 'Big Daddy'. She gathers Adam, he keeps her safe." When the Big Daddy and Little Sister where finally out of sight Jack lowered his arms and sank to the floor, nearly crying in relief.

If there was ever a time that Jack Ryan had feared for his life, it was when he came face to face with his first Big Daddy.

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There is an issue I would like to discus. While I am proud of being _yea close (pinches fingers together) _to having five hundred hits, I am disappointed to only have seven reviews. The reviews are excellent, but I would love to hear what you all are thinking of my work so please… PLEASE REVIEW!

To The Second Beast, thelastromantic, and Spartan Ai28: thank you. Thank you for reviewing.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

=) Beta


	6. Chapter 5: Andrew Ryan

Chapter 5

Andrew Ryan

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Jack stayed in the Floodlight Theater for a long time; if he was going to leave, then he wanted to be sure that the Big Daddy was long gone.

When the thundering footsteps had long since faded into the distance, Jack collected himself and prepared to move forward. The only available exit was through a locked shutter that led into a short hallway just outside of the theater. He found that the padlock and chain that closed the door was worn and rusted, making it easy to dispose of with a strike from his wrench.

The hallway opened into a dark corridor, barely lit by the few remaining lights hanging from the high ceiling. The floors were littered with discarded newspapers and the ever- present piles of rubble. The articles of news where smudged and destroyed, thus giving Jack no insight to Rapture's dark secrets. The most redeeming quality of the area happened to be a corpse, in its hand was a fully loaded revolver and while Jack did not need the extra gun, the ammo inside of it served to double his current amount.

The corridor itself proceeded to the right from Floodlight Theater and then turned to the left. Past the corner was a glassed in balcony overlooking a large room and from his position, Jack could see another corridor with the words 'Neptune's Bounty' below him. Excited, he retrieved the radio to inform Atlas of his location.

"Atlas," He called into the device, "I'm almost there. I can see the entrance, or something like it."

Jack could here Atlas almost laughing on the other side of the radio. "Good job boyo! That should lead you to Neptune real quick like. Hurry up now, I'll meet up with you when you get there."

Jack pocketed the radio and searched the area for some way into the lower room. He followed the balcony around to find a demolished stone stairway that should have led downward. Much like before, the fall was not far, but there would be no easy way back up once he jumped down. A broken pipe overhead poured water onto the stairway and created a giant puddle at the foot of the ledge. Seeing no other option, Jack leapt from the balcony and into the shallow water in the lower room.

Jack shook the water from his pants leg and proceeded towards the tunnel to his right marked 'Neptune's Bounty'. As he was about to enter the corridor a heavy metal fence sprung out from the wall and barred the entrance. All hell broke loose as the lights turned red and a siren wailed throughout the room. A contrastingly cheery voice sounded over the intercom to inform him that a security alert was in progress.

"What the hell's goin' on over there?!" Atlas creamed from Jack's pocket.

Jack tried to move the gate, but it held fast. "I don't know, but I can't get through. What should I do?" Jack had to yell over the sirens for Atlas to hear hm.

"Just hold tight boyo, I'll see what I can do from here. I can open some of the doors in Rapture but not all of them." Atlas tried to reassure him, but Jack was losing his cool very quickly.

In the distance, Jack could hear screaming… lots of it. It echoed through the halls and dug into his brain, dozens of them were out there and they were attracted to the wailing. Jack backed away from the broken stairs and pulled the revolver from the back of his pants. "Atlas…" He called, "we've got a problem." The red lights were casting ominous shadows of the approaching Splicers along the balcony walls.

Suddenly, Atlas had an idea; "You got some water nearby Jack?"

Jack's gave fell to the puddle by the stairs. "Yeah… lots of it. Why?" He shouted back.

"Well if you see a Splicer in the water, zap 'em with the Electro Bolt." Atlas sounded a little more confident now.

The first Splicer neared the stone steps as Jack summoned the electricity back into his hand. "SHIT! Here they come!" He waited for the Splicer to jump before springing into action.

The moment that the Splicers feet hit the water, Jack unleashed the electricity from his hand to the water at its feet. The result was immediate as lightning danced across the water, as well as Splicer's skin, but as it collapsed to the floor, two more quickly replaced it. Jack sent another arc of electricity from his palm, but one of the Splicers jumped from the water while the other was electrified. The surviving Splicer leapt through the air with a butcher's knife in its hand, landing a few feet from Jack.

Jack rolled to the left as the Splicer swung the blade at him, but it screamed in anger as the blade cut nothing but the air. Now a safe distance away, Jack leapt back onto his feet he took aim at the Splicer. There was a deafening _crack_ as he pulled the trigger and the Splicer found a new hole above its right ear. Jack had no time to celebrate as two more Splicers entered the room. He used another bolt of lightning to electrify the water, but yet another Splicer leapt over them and safely hit the dry ground.

"Atlas," Jack called out while he disposed of another Splicer, "please tell me you're almost done."

Three Splicers jumped into the puddle and were quickly eliminated as Atlas responded. "This ain't good boyo."

Jack's stomach dropped at those words. "Don't say that! You can do something, right… RIGHT!?"

"Oh shit…" Jack could barely hear Atlas' suppressed voice over the siren and the screams.

He shot another Splicer before responding. "STILL NOT HELPING!"

"It's Ryan," Atlas screamed into the radio, "GODDAMN ANDREW RYAN! He found us! Damn, he closed off access to Neptune from where you are."

"What the hell, I thought he was dead or something?" This was actually the first time Jack had heard Atlas talk about Andrew Ryan; he was starting to believe that Rapture was like this because the man had died.

"No, the old vulture could have been watching us the whole time. There's another way to get there; head through Medical on the opposite side of the room."

Jack turned to the wall facing the entrance to Neptune's Bounty to find that there was, in fact, another tunnel. "You're right, I see it!"

"What are you waiting for? Go!" Atlas screamed to Jack as another batch of Splicers ran along the balcony above him.

Jack turned to his right and sprinted as quickly as he could into the tunnel leading towards the Medical Pavilion. He could hear the Splicers, screaming like caged monkeys, following him into the corridor. Jack leapt over another pile of rubble and ran past another fountain of falling water before the large hallway cut to the left. The tunnel led into a small room and the only thing he noticed was an enormous metal bulkhead with the words 'Medical Pavilion' over the doorframe.

Just as Jack was going to pass through the doorway, it slid shut, effectively locking him out. Seeing no other option, he turned around to leave the room, but the only exits on either side of the room were cut off by metal fences like the one in front of 'Neptune'. Before he could think of another plan, Jack was plunged into darkness as the lights were eliminated.

Jack reached for the radio and brought it to his lips. "Atlas… please, please tell me you have a plan."

He could hear the sounds of Atlas shuffling about on the other side of the radio. "I think I can help you, but you gotta give me some time!" The radio was silent as Jack forced himself not to panic. The Splicers' screams of rage and frustration were growing in volume with each passing moment.

Just as Jack was beginning to give up hope, he heard the sounds of some unseen device coming to life. He turned to where he thought the bulkhead was, but was nearly blinded by a bright light instead. As his eyes adjusted, Jack could make out a large screen behind a glass wall, and a message stating 'please stand by' slowly came into focus. When the picture was finally in focus, the image changed to one of a man's face glaring menacingly back at Jack. With the word 'RYAN' labeled at the bottom of the screen it did not take long for Jack to realize who the man was.

A voice spoke to Jack over the sounds of sirens and screaming, "So tell me, friend, which one of the bitches sent you? The KGB wolf, or the CIA jackal? Here's the news: Rapture isn't some sunken ship for you to plunder, and Andrew Ryan isn't a giddy socialite who can be slapped around by government muscle."

Jack could not believe what he was hearing. Either Andrew Ryan had gone insane along with the rest of his city, or he was much too paranoid for his own good. At the time though, Jack was wondering if the two, paranoia and insanity, were one in the same.

As the screaming reached painful volumes, Jack barely heard Ryan's last words. "And with that, farewell, or dasvidaniya, whichever you prefer."

As the screen returned to its message from before, Jack was horrified to see that the Splicers had finally caught up to him. Three Splicers wielding pipes appeared behind the glass and tried to destroy the only thing protecting him from them. He slowly backed away from the trio as the glass began to crack under their ministration.

Jack snatched the radio back to his mouth. "Atlas… Atlas? Please tell me you're almost done." He received no response. "ATLAS!" he screamed into the radio, panicking as one Splicer created a small hole in its' section of the glass.

Suddenly, Atlas' voice called back to him., "I got it!" The metal door behind Jack slid open. "Get out! Get out NOW!" He didn't need to be told a third time as Jack turned tail from the room.

As the bulkhead slid closed, Jack could hear the sound of frustrated screams and shattering glass.

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Looking back I feel as though I rushed this chapter. Being that as it is I will gladly accept flames for this chapter.

Also, I would like to discus my earlier issue. I Am glad to find that I received and extra four reviews and am almost at eight hundred hits, so thank you to those who read.

To The Second Beast, thelastromantic, Sarcasticrocker86, bloodlust002, Feneris, and Spartan Ai28: thank you. Thank you for reviewing, you are helping keep the story alive.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

=) Beta Adrienne Donaldson


	7. Chapter 6: Not a Pretty Bedtime Story

Chapter 6

Not a Pretty Bedtime Story

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Behind the Bulkhead, Jack found an empty room even smaller than the one before, nothing more and nothing less. It had four walls, two made of glass to and two of the heavy metal doors taking up the remaining sides. The glass sides offered no view other than a rock wall on either side, but Jack was happy with just having somewhere to rest. The most redeeming quality was the doors themselves, they were designed to completely seal off one building if it was destroyed or flooded. This design was what separated him from the hoard of insane Splicers that were no doubt trying to kill him.

He was finally safe.

No Splicers.

No Big Daddies.

No Little Sisters.

…And especially no planes.

This was Jack's first moment of peace after what felt like hours of fear and panic. Nothing was trying to kill him, and nothing was going to break in. So he did what every red-blooded male would do…

…he collapsed.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Jack felt he could finally breathe… really breathe. His sweater was now a mesh of splicer blood, sea water, and his own sweat. His arm still pulsed with electricity, but what he once thought of as power, now felt numb and annoying. His muscles ached all over. But he was alive. He had never truly appreciated the beauty of having his heart continue to beat until tonight. 

The room was filled with white noise for a moment as the short wave radio came to life in Jack's pocket. "You alright Jack, all your bits and pieces make it outta there?

Jack pulled himself into a sitting position against the wall and fished the radio from his pocket. He held the device to his lips and responded, "I'm… yeah I made it out fine. I'm going to be sore later though."

"Alright, boyo" Atlas chuckled. "Take a breather. We both know you've earned it."

There was something about Atlas's voice that immediately calmed Jack's nerves. He didn't quite know why, but it was there, nonetheless, and Jack welcomed it—especially after his first encounter with Andrew Ryan. Jack started to shiver at the memory. He would never be able to relax at this point.

"Hey… Atlas?" Jack clicked the radio to speak.

"Yeah Jack, everything alright?"

"Of course," Jack silently theorized to himself that if he could just keep Atlas talking, he could relax long enough to get some real rest. "I was just hoping now I could get some real answers about this place. Why was it built and why here. Better yet, what happened? There's no way it could have always been this way, so what screwed everything up so bad?

Over the radio, Jack heard Atlas's sigh. "Ah, boyo I'm gonna warn ya; Rapture's not a pretty bedtime story..."

"I know. Believe me, I know. I just need to hear it." Jack did not have to think hard to find the most horrifying moments in his life.

"Yea, I'd guessed you say that. All right, fine. From the beginning? Uh, right. Andrew Ryan, with whom you've just had the pleasure? He was a pretty… off businessman, no which way around that."

Jack was confused by his words, "What do you mean?"

"After the war, Ryan tried to start a life just like you or me, but things never went how _he _wanted them to. He grew tired of all of the, censorship, tyranny, and lack of free market the surface had, at least those are his words." Jack could tell Atlas was having a hard time telling the story from an onlooker's perspective. "With no place to satisfy his ideas for a utopia, Ryan decided he would make his own." Jack could here Atlas' bitter chuckle. "Most billionaires buy an island, but not Ryan. He completely segregated himself from the surface and he built a metropolis at the bottom of the sea. I assume you've heard the full scheme in that bathysphere on your way down here, right?"

Another slight shiver. "Yeah."

"Well, there ya go. Rapture was supposed to be a paradise. The best and the brightest came down to be free of government and bureaucracy and anything else that could keep a man down… but…"

Jack could almost feel his hesitance. "But?"

"But, as always, men got greedy, and one stood a head taller than the rest. You'll hear a name about...Frank Fontaine. His was a nasty sort; started the plasmid business chugging right good under the help of some hired scientists under a new business called Fontaine Futuristic he started in the early fifties. 'For anyone can take a breath, but _we_ have the opportunity to shoot fire from our hands, make ourselves faster, stronger, faster, smarter, prettier, lift things with our minds—anything you could ask for, it was yours...if you could pay. The power of the gods at your fingertips. No one ever told us what it really cost until it was too late. That Ambrosia came with human torture for testing, addiction with just a little too much indulgence, and even the murders of those Little Sisters' childhoods. No, we never understood the cost at all..."

Jack was growing more confused by the moment. "So he discovered Adam… or the plasmids?"

"Not so much discovered as mass produced." Atlas replied. "The scientists are responsible for that, but that ain't all he did. To fund the dough to keep them brainiacs happy, Fontaine started a smuggling ring. He started hauling and selling things from the topside you couldn't get down here and… well, lets just say Ryan didn't like that one bit. Contact with the surface meant more opportunities to become discovered by some world superpower, and you personally saw how he reacts to that idea. Fontaine was good, though. Kept no evidence around long enough to tell a tale—even his own workers."

"Sounds like a real bastard," Jack remarked.

"It's all about greed, boyo. If you don't watch it, it'll consume you. Anyway, months went by, and the two men fought for control. See, Ryan was in charge of Rapture, but Fontaine had the heart of the people."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, and Atlas' response was not what he was hoping for.

"It's like this Jack; not everyone who came to Rapture got to be prosperous businessmen and women; someone always has to scrub the toilets. Fontaine started a poorhouse for those less than financially sound to keep them on his side of things."

"To get a leg up on Ryan?" Jack concluded.

"Right you are. So again, Ryan is not happy about Fontaine's actions; 'Charity creates parasites', and so on and so on. Things start to get ugly between the two until finally, Ryan does the unthinkable. He comes onto the announcements one morning and says 'all smugglers are parasites—mercenaries ready to risk the secrecy of Rapture for a cheap dollar. Therefore, anyone found taking part in this heinous act shall be dealt with. His favorite way of dealing with parasites? Hanging." 

"Dear Lord." Jack was repulsed by the images put into his head.

He could not see it, but Atlas was nodding his head in agreement. "Exactly my point. You don't ever want to go to Apollo square."

Jack felt it was wrong, but he pushed the subject. "What's in Apollo?"

There was a long silence before Atlas responded. "They didn't take them down after they were hanged."

"Oh…" Jack did not feel like asking anymore questions.

"As you can imagine in a city that's promised to hold no laws, people are none too pleased to hear there's a death penalty. Plasmids start sellin' by the dozens; guns are in near every house, fingers on the trigger, just asking for a reason to fire. And Fontaine just keeps on rolling in the cash."

"They both sound like bastards." Jack added.

"No kidding, but eventually someone's gotta lose. Fontaine died in a shoot out like John Wayne along with most of his thugs. Unfortunately, it wasn't the end of anything because Andrew Ryan wasn't the same after that. He built the city, and he ran it into the ground. Nobody knows what happened to the old tosser. Whichever way you slice it, he became exactly what he had created this city to get away from. A tyrant. He took over Fontaine Futuristics and left everyone at Fontaine's Home for the Poor hung out to dry." Atlas stopped for a long moment.

After a few moments Jack called out to him. "Atlas?"

"You may hear things about me," he sounded suddenly exhausted. Weary. "And you're free to think what you will. There was a time I believed in politics. But it's just an excuse men use to kill one another."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ryan was out of control. The people were desperate. They needed a leader, and I... I became that leader. I led a revolt against Ryan. I helped destroy Rapture."

"What about the Kashmir, was that you?" Jack was afraid of the answer. 

Atlas' reply only sounded that much more depressed. "Ay, that was me, but you gotta understand boyo, I was only thinking of me family. I had brought them down to make a better life for them, and when I saw what Ryan was doing, I thought I could liberate the people—fix this mess. So we struck where we thought Ryan would be, and it came back and bit us. Can you imagine a bigger fool than that? I am no liberator, and these people spliced themselves halfway to hell in my name. Before I knew it, Rapture was dead and Ryan had gained complete control over the whole damned place. I did the only thing I could think, and got my family into hiding, now here I am, begging a man I barely even know to help me on a mission that could get us both killed."

Jack was silent for a long time, tracing the tattoo on his wrist absently, contemplating all he had learned with solemn reflection.

"Jack, would you kindly tell me what you're thinking?"

Jack took a deep breath and replied into the radio, "I'm thinking you've got to be one of the most honest men I've met. Thank you for telling me the truth."

The relief in Atlas's voice was obvious, "I'm glad that of all the people to just show up here, it was you. You feel ready to move on?"

Jack rose, shaking out his stiff body. "Always, Atlas. Always."

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Thank you for reading, please review if you think that I am leaving anything out.

This chapter is brought to you by Sarcasticrocker86, I added a bit in certain places to help the plot direction, but literally ninety percent of the words are his own. I really liked how it turned out, tell me how he did.

To The Second Beast, HopelsslyRomanticAndProudOfIt, Sarcasticrocker86, bloodlust002, Feneris, Chris the Cat, lopezanator, Yenattirb, Dilenaxa and Spartan-A128: thank you. Thank you for reviewing, you are helping keep the story alive.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

(+'.'+)  
(")_(") Co-Author: sarcasticrocker86

=) Beta Adrienne Donaldson


	8. Chapter 7: Adrenaline

Chapter 7

Adrenaline

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The world outside the bulkhead was a drastic change from Jack's safe haven. The blue glow of the ocean waters filtering through the glass walls was replaced with a suffocating darkness broken by the occasional florescent light. He exited the small space and entered into a short corridor leading to a large reception area. A circular sign reading 'MEDICAL PAVILION' was precariously hung over the receptionist's desk and two stairways led to the main entrance of the medical area. The ceiling was an arched glass dome, but the blue light did not reach the dark floor below. 

The radio crackled to life in Jacks pocket "Now you've met Andrew Ryan, the bloody king of Rapture. Now find your way to emergency access, it'll lead straight to the bathysphere dock outta here. 

Jack was unnerved by the silence that crept around him. He reached for the radio for reassurance. "Atlas" he called, "It's really quiet here. You think there are any Splicers around?" 

"No boyo," Atlas responded, "they're here alright. 'Medical' was the first of many to fall since people went here to get Spliced. On top of that, all the ones too spliced-up were sent here, thinking it was a medical condition. With so many of the bastards in one area they became uncontrollable, so Ryan had the place locked up. 

"What about the other ones, the people still inside?" Jack feared the answer. 

Atlas sighed on the other end of the line. "Maybe you didn't hear me boyo; _Ryan_ had the Medical Pavilion locked up. This place is one of the reasons I stood against the haughty bastard, but we knew better than to open that nut house back up. You're lucky you weren't around to here the screams." 

He shuddered at the thought of those unlucky individuals trapped inside. "I'll take your word for it." 

"Good on ya. Now, there should be a security room behind ya, and the emergency access is beyond that." Atlas directed. 

Jack turned around to find a shutter door with the words 'Security' lit in neon red. As with most of the doors in Rapture, it slid open as he approached. After a short, twisting hallway he found himself in an open chamber with stairs on either side. On the opposite side of the room was the doorway leading to the dock, but it was blocked by another security fence. Jack did not need to test it to know that it would not budge. 

He sighed heavily as he spoke into the radio, "Guess what." 

"Don't tell me, it's locked?" Atlas responded in annoyance. 

Jack almost laughed at his tone. "Yeah, security or something, got any bright ideas?" He turned to survey the room and found a security booth above the hallway he had entered through. "Scratch that, I think I found it." 

"Careful now, Jack." Atlas called. "Don't go breaking anything you don't understand." 

"I'll remember that." Jack pocketed the radio and ascended the stairs two at a time. Inside the booth was an array of knobs and switches that literally covered the long desk, but a lever labeled **RELEASE SECURITY LOCKDOWN** stood out from the others. Jack grabbed the top of the switch and tried to pull it down. The device move a fraction of an inch before a siren suddenly started wailing in Jack's ear. 

"A security lockdown is in affect. Only authorized personnel may release the lockdown." The calm female voice from before delivered its message from the intercom speakers. 

"Goddamn it!" Atlas' Irish accent filled the air, "That bastard locked it down!" 

Jack grabbed the radio from his pocket again. "Who? Ryan?" 

Atlas paused a moment before responding. "I won't lie to you; this is bad Jack. You'll be needing Dr. Steinman's key, he's the one what runs this place. But I don't expect him to hand it to you out of the milk of human kindness. Steinman ain't that kind, and frankly, I'm not even sure he's still human." 

"So… where is he?" Jack knew that he was not going to like the answer. 

"He's inside the pavilion… somewhere." He responded. "I'll do some digging from here while you find a way into Medical." Although the Radio went silent, Jack still held the device in his hand as he left the console. 

There was another door opposite from the array of switches that led into a hall nearly mimicking the one below. It led into, not surprisingly, a booth with a large window looking over the Medical Pavilion lobby. While the last room had an entire console of buttons and switches, this desk had only one switch reading the same warning as before. From his position, Jack could see the heavy iron fence that blocked off the doorway into the pavilion. He could almost imagine the blood curdling screams that must have came from within its walls. Jack screwed his eyes shut as he flipped the switch… 

…and covered his ears in a vain attempt to shut out the wails that seemed to come from the air itself. The radio that was in his hands fell to the floor with a loud clatter. 

"Damn! What the hell was that?" He screamed in surprise. 

Jack could hear Atlas' voice crackling from the floor. "Oh shit, you've rattled the monkey cage now boyo." 

Before he could respond to Atlas' remark, three Splicers came screaming out from the newly opened doorway. Jack could see that two of the monsters were carrying pipes, while the other had a gun of some sort. The armed Splicer leapt from the entrance's balcony and onto the precariously hung sign. It screamed maniacally as it let loose a barrage of metal at the booth and, more specifically, Jack. 

Faster than he thought possible, Jack hit the floor as glass shards rained down on his head. He held his arms protectively his face and tried to formulate a plan of action. He reached for the radio from behind his cover. He snatched the device just as another bullet cut the air above his hand. 

"Boyo, you still there Jack?" Atlas yelled from his end of the signal. 

"Not a good time!" He screamed back. 

"Christ in heaven! I can see you on the cameras Jack, when you ducked I thought they gotcha! Listen to me closely, the other two are on their way. You gotta take care of that lead head quickly, so would you kindly kill that bastard and defend yourself?" 

As the barrage came to a sudden pause, and Jack peered around the console to see the Splicer fumbling to reload his Tommy gun. He retrieved the revolver from its place in the back of his trousers and took aim. The mutant noticed him before Jack fired the gun in its direction. It laughed in its disturbing double voice before the Splicer plummeted to his death. 

"_Uncool, uncivilized, UNCULTIVATED!" _Another Splicer screamed at the top of its lungs as it came screaming into the booth. Jack instantly summoned the power into his hand and struck its slightly feminine face. The effect was instant and the Splicer's skull exploded from the surge. 

The last creature rounded into the second floor's hallway and turned to face Jack. Before it could take another step, he fired one last round between its eyes. 

Jack slowly lowered the gun and dismissed the lightning in his left hand. The cold numbness of what felt like adrenalin faded away into nothing as he felt for the radio. 

"Got them all, I'm alright." Emotion had left his voice as Jack walked back to the lobby. 

Atlas' prideful voice rang out from the other line. "Good on ya Jackie boy, I knew you could. Now head on inside and I'll see what I can find on the cameras." 

"Yeah, bye." Jack pocketed the radio.

(^(00)^)

Thank you for reading, please review if you think that I am leaving anything out.  
This chapter is brought to you by Sarcasticrocker86; not that he wrote anything, but that he got me off my ass long enough to update the story. Even so I feel like I rushed this chapter, so if you feel like flaming me I'm all for it. It'll probably convince me to revise it and make it better!

To The Second Beast, HopelsslyRomanticAndProudOfIt, Sarcasticrocker86, bloodlust002, Feneris, Chris the Cat, lopezanator, Yenattirb, Dilenaxa and Spartan-A128: thank you. Thank you for reviewing and staying with me, you are helping keep the story alive.  
This may sound a little, advertisement like, but I would love to see what everyone thinks of my other stories: Left 4 Dead: Homecoming and Bye Daddy I love You. I would love to jump back on it, but I'm in a state of writer's block for all things zombie related.

(^(00)^) Author: Guardian Shotgun

=) Beta Adrienne Donaldson


	9. Chapter 8: Above All Else

AN: Sorry if my grammar and spelling is off but this is my first chapter with out a beta. Please bear with me in this time of transition.

Chapter 8

Above All Else...

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_Dr. Stienman__ said he'd release me today. Ryan didn't come to see me since the New year's attack.__Not once... but Dr. Steinman was very attentive. He told me that once the scar tissue was gone, he was going to fix me right up. Make me prettier than any girl I've ever seen. He's sweet all right... and so interested in my case!_

Jack placed the device back on the receptionist's counter as the diary came to an end. It was another recording from Diane McClintock. He told himself that it could have been important, that the recording could have had some kind of useful information. The truth was, Jack was afraid to enter the Medical Pavilion.

He had tried to force his way into the emergency access, but that was just another excuse to not enter. Next, Jack tried to use the Tommy gun previously owned by the Splicer. Atlas had a good laugh when the electricity that still coursed through the veins in his left hand set off the live ammunition still in the gun. He threw the gun across the lobby and too shelter in the hallway. Now Jack was bidding his time listening to the voices of Rapture's ghosts.

So with trembling hands he ascended the stairs into Medical. Two sets of stairs joined together to form a balcony behind the receptionist's desk. On top of the balcony was a hallway that led to the pavilion's main entrance. Jack stood there for a moment just a few inches from the corridor, too afraid to enter. But as he stood there, Atlas' pleading voice called to him in the back of his mind.

"_Listen, I've got a family. I NEED to get them outta here, but the Splicers have cut me off from them."_

Jack steeled his resolve, screwed his eyes shut, and stepped into the hallway…

...and clutched his head in pain as his skull exploded.

Jack's felt as if is head had been pummeled repeatedly with a sledgehammer. His vision swam as the colors of the world around him melted away. A ringing sound in his ears grew quickly until it was all he could hear.

The lights above him flickered and died as darkness flooded the hallway. Jack's vission dissolved into a hazey gray as he felt someone sprit past him. Taking a stumbling step towards the figure, he fell to the ground.

"_You promised me pretty Steinman! You promised me!"_ Jack could barely make out a feminine voice through the ringing in his ears. She stuck the door with her fists in a panicked manner.

"_Now look at me!" _A strangled sob erupted from her throat as the woman slid to the ground.

"_LOOK AT ME!" _The woman vanished when the lights suddenly returned.

As Jack tried to stand a sickening sense of vertigo caught him by supprise. Without any energy left to fight back he couldn't help but to empty his stomach all over the floor. When the bile finally decided to subside Jack whiped his mouth and stood on shakey legs.

"Atlas." Jack called as he fingered the trasmitter. "I..I'm.. god I'm n-not sure what I just saw."

"What in blazes are you talking about Jackie?" Came Atlas' crackled reply."

Jack took a few steadying breaths and tried to gather his thoughts, but as he leaned against the still closed doors, he could not seem to grasp what had happened. "I... Never mind, I'm just seeing things."

When Atlas did not reply Jack did not bother trying to continue. Instead he pushed himself of the doors and turned to face them. To the right on the wall was a button, obviously to unlock the sliding doors, so he pushed it. Immediately the doors split down the middle and slid open.

The room before him was shrowded in darkness, but as he too a step forward a dim light appeared overhead. The only thing it was able to illuminate was a small area of the floor, and the words there in a deep angry red.

"Above all, do no harm."

The words were presented in a neat handwriting and signed by one Dr. Stienman. Jack would not be suprised if it was really blood, but before he had a chance to check, the rest of lights in the pavilion came to life. Before him was a wall littered with photos of beautiful women. Red marks littered their faces as if they were prepping for a facelift. Below was a demolished couch marking a waiting area, and seeing nothing useful Jack proceeded arround the wall.

The room behind was wide and open and adorned with multiple recepionist desks. The overhead lightings did little good to illuminate the pavilion as heavy shaddows dominated most of the corners. Luckily there seemed to be no immediate danger as the area was unpopulated. Nevertheless Jack kept his steps light and his hand revolver on hand.

The more he looked about, the more Jack realised that the reception area was more like a strip mall. he walls themselves were a dull gray but adorned with dozens of advertisements for different areas of the Medical Pavilion while the celing was the ever present window into the surrounding ocean. Two doors two his left with intricate signs advertised different offices. A crematory and mourge did little to lighten the dark atmosphere. At the furthest wall from the entrance was a door between two decending stairways. The sign above it read: _Dr. Stienman's Aesthetic Ideals_. Being the most obvious choice of finding the doctor, Jack proceeded through the door and was led to a glass halway conecting to the next building.

Again Jack was presented with an astounding view of the ocean. To the regular man the sight would have been awe inspiring, but to him it only helped to bring about a feeling of imprisonment. The only sound that penetrated the silence was the soft crackle of a television monitor that was connected to a small pillar at a fork in the tunnel. To the left was the next underwater skyscraper, and to the right was a loop back to the pavilion. As Jack made his way left the monitor suddenly sprang to life and Stienman's voice could be heard.

"With genetic modifications beauty is no longer a goal, or a virtue. It its a MORAL OBLIGATION! Do we force the healthy to live with the sick? Do we mix the criminal with the law-abiding? Then why are the plain allowed to mingle with the fair?"

The screen crackled and died as Jack walked by, the voice only seemed to build on his already growing unease.

A short walk to the other end of the hall and the heavy door slid open. Yet again Jack was greeted to a crimson message on the floor, delivering the same message that the speakers had. This time though the floor was also covered with photos of beautiful women, or they would have been if random facial features from other pictures hadn't been strewn across and taped over them. One such picture had been mounted on the wall with the word 'PERFECTION' neatly on it in blood. Jack could not seem to pull his gaze away from the mutilated photo.

"Why must we have two eyes?"

He was startled by a soft male voice coming from further in the room. Turning to the left Jack crept closely to the wall and proceeded further into the surgery ward.

"Is there some law that says we MUST have two eyes." The voice grew louder as Jack readied to enter a very open area of the room. It seemed like another waiting area, but with a much higher ceiling and balconies high atop the walls. The area may have doubled as a show room.

"Two arms. Two legs. Two breasts!" In the middle of the room a figure was hunched over a mass of bloody photographs. Jack slowly approached the man and kept his finger on the gun's trigger. This had to be Doctor Stienman, the voice was too much like the announcement from before. If Jack could talk the doctor into giving him the key out of Medical then all his immediate troubles would be over, but he was definitely not going to take any chances.

"Doctor Stienman?" He called out. Suddenly the doctor's head turned to him and he screamed. He was still wearing all the necessary accessories he would need for surgery, and his face was mutilated much like the splicers'. Stienman leapt to his feet and before Jack could raise the revolver to fire, the doctor had ran through the only door that lead further into the surgery ward.

Jack was about to follow, but before Stienman was out of sight he threw a small object at the door. The moment it hit the ground it exploded and caused the doorway to collapse. Now there was no hope of Jack following after the insane doctor.

(^(00)^)

Why, hello there. Guardian Shotgun here. Yes, I AM BACK BABY! Muahahahahaha.

Sorry, sorry, SORRY about my absence. After college starting, finding a job, and breaking up with my beta reader I haven't had much time to myself. But like a beam of light in my darkest hour, released a dowload of OpenOffice for free, just my price range too!

I need a new Beta!

Other than that expect a bit more to theis chapter in a few days with most of this message deleated.

Guardian Shotgun

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